The Workhorse

About
Coffee perfectly representing the work and terroir of Mount Elgon and the farmers that reside here. Mountain Harvest sourced community parchment rigidly selected through strict quality analysis by our Quality Manager, Nathan Kotaki and his Quality Controller, Emma Amutuhaire. Because of their high standards and training of our field team, Mountain Harvest has quickly become recognized as the best source for high quality consistent farm washed parchment in Uganda. So often, Mount Elgon washed products are seen as inconsistent. However, the Quality Team dedicated their first 3 years of production to research why this is so. Applying our lessons learned with roaster partners, we have acclimated our quality analysis, completed all final drying of parchment centrally while ensuring farmers still access market in traditional forms (ie parchment sales), and invested in quality-focused infrastructure like a temperature controlled warehouse. With this, our Mt Elgon A+ (or the "Workhorse," as it is come to be known by our staff, is a proclamation of what is possible in Uganda - truly challenging the status quo. We dedicate our success to roasting partners like Katie Carguillo at Counter Culture, who worked hand in hand with our Quality Team to transform our volume product, a testimony to what shared success can look like.

We Taste
The sweet and sugary profiles of the South combine beautifully with the complex acidities of the North for an adaptive single origin offering or blender workhorse coffee enjoyed as a filtered coffee or espresso. We find a clean and balanced cup with citrus fruits, dark cocoa, black tea, apple, raisin and medium acidity.

Impact
Coffee is only impactful when farmers are receiving payments covering production consistently. However, this is so often not the case. Mountain Harvest provides farmers with a suite of innovative farmer services highlighting income diversification, financial literacy, regenerative agriculture towards greater farmland resliency, and quality based infrastructure modernizing their understanding of coffee production in addition to dependable access to market. Sourcing farm washed parchment from 10 community zones on Mt Elgon, The Workhorse pays tribute to The Fundamentals' core goal - bringing roasters the best Ugandan washed coffees while bridging the knowledge gap for smallholder farmers learning new ways of production. Just as the product is dependable, the financial payment and services deliver sustainability.

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Origin: Mount Elgon, Eastern Uganda
Source: Farm washed process from 850+ Mountain Harvest certified smallholder farmers
Varieties: Nyasaland, SL-14, SL-28
Elevation: 1600 - 2200m
Harvest: September - January
Communities: Bushiyi, Mabono, Makali, Bufuma, Kajere, Sipi, Yilwanako-Mayiyi, Bukalasi, Buginyanya
Farmers: 850 Mountain Harvest smallholder farmers, 47% women
Farmer Services Accessed: Income Diversification, Financial Literacy, Regenerative Agriculture, Microfinance